Isao Takahata
Born
October 29, 1935
Died
April 5, 2018 (82 years old)
Known For
Directing
Place of Birth
Ujiyamada [now Ise], Mie, Japan
Isao Takahata (October 29, 1935 – April 5, 2018), co-founder of Studio Ghibli, was one of the most famous directors of Japanese animated films. Unlike most anime directors, he did not draw and never worked as an animator before becoming a director.
For the first two decades of his career from the 1960s to the 1980s, Takahata worked primarily as director for anime television. In 1985 he and his long-time collaborative partner Hayao Miyazaki formed Studio Ghibli with Toshio Suzuki and Yasuyoshi Tokuma. From that point, his career transitioned into producing, directing, and writing films for Studio Ghibli. He is known for his five feature length anime films released under Ghibli, Grave of the Fireflies (1988), Only Yesterday (1991), Pom Poko (1994), My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999) and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013).
Known For
Miyazaki, Spirit of Nature
Self (Archive footage)
2025
Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron
Self
2024
2399 Days with Hayao Miyazaki & Studio Ghibli
Self
2023
10 Years with Hayao Miyazaki
Self · (4 episodes)
2019
NHK Image File: I Want To Meet This Person - Isao Takahata, Animation Film Director
Self (archive footage)
2018
Hyohyo: Dear Mr. Yasuo Otsuka
Himself
2015
Isao Takahata and His Tale of the Princess Kaguya
Self
2014
Ghibli Landscapes - Visit 'Japan' as Depicted by Isao Takahata
Self
2014
The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness
Self
2013
Ghibli Landscapes - A Journey to Encounter Directors Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki's Starting Point
Self
2011
Japanese Cinema: New Territories
Self
2011
Ghibli's Bookshelf
Self
2010
A Ghibli Artisan - Kazuo Oga Exhibition - The One Who Drew Totoro's Forest
Self
2007
Yasuo Ōtsuka's Joy in Motion
Self
2004
The Secrets of My Neighbors the Yamadas
Hayao Miyazaki and the Ghibli Museum
Self
2005
Ghibli and The Miyazaki Mystery
Self - Interviewee
2005
Kulturplatz
Self · (1 episode)
2004
Paul Grimault, image par image
Himself
2003
The Birth of Studio Ghibli
2003
The Cat Returns - Making of
Self
2002
The World, The Journey Of My Heart - Traveler: Animation Film Director Isao Takahata
Himself
1999
How Ghibli Was Born
Himself
1998
The Making of Only Yesterday
Self
1991
The Story of Yanagawa's Canals
Himself
1987